Liverpool Funeral Home Shakes Up Traditions On TV

On the evening of February 4, 2026, British television offered viewers a rare and intimate glimpse into the world of death, grief, and celebration—served with a distinctly Liverpudlian flair. Channel 4’s documentary, The Fabulous Funeral Parlour, spotlighted Hayley McCaughran, a 39-year-old funeral director whose unconventional approach is reshaping how families in Liverpool—and perhaps beyond—think about saying goodbye.

McCaughran’s Butterflies Rising Funeral Care in West Derby, Liverpool, isn’t your typical funeral home. Forget the sombre, hushed parlours of tradition; this place feels more like a spa or a boutique hotel. There’s a 10-foot waterfall, the scent of baby powder in the air, a glowing halo, and even an angel swing. According to BBC News, McCaughran designed the environment to be "relaxed and calm," a space where families can feel reassured that their loved ones are being cared for in a "gorgeous environment"—not relegated to a cold, impersonal chapel.

But it’s not just the décor that sets Butterflies Rising apart. McCaughran, who sports pillarbox red curls and a flair for full makeup, brings the same attention to aesthetics and care that defined her former career in the beauty industry. "I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 20 years," she told BBC News. "I’d looked after people with aesthetics and stuff, making them feel good about themselves, and that’s what I did for my own mum with the hair and make-up." Her mother’s death from cancer in 2019 spurred the dramatic career change. "I wanted to turn my pain and grief into something positive," she explained.

The documentary, directed by Lydia Noakes and reviewed by The Guardian, follows McCaughran and her team—including Tom the embalmer and co-director Neil Irons—over several months. Viewers are introduced to a funeral home that’s anything but ordinary. For starters, caskets here can feature personalized nameplates with favorite sayings—sometimes even irreverent ones. One family chose a plaque that read, quite boldly, "FUCK OFF." McCaughran explained, "We don’t do it a traditional way." Families are asked if their loved one had a favorite saying, and the team is happy to oblige, no matter how unconventional.

Presentation, both in life and death, is a guiding ethos at Butterflies Rising. "If you were going out to your last party, you’d want to look your absolute best," McCaughran says in the documentary, as quoted by Channel 4. She chats to the deceased as she prepares them for family visits, splashing aftershave or making sure a client’s fleece is zipped just so. "Just because they’re asleep it doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the same respect as you or I," she tells the camera, according to The Guardian.

One of the most poignant stories featured in The Fabulous Funeral Parlour is that of Marion, a woman in her forties with only weeks to live due to kidney failure. Marion decides to plan her own funeral, eager to spare her young daughters the burden. Her requests are anything but standard: she wants a singer, a disco, and a rave for her "last hurrah." She even comes to the parlour with her makeup done—she can’t manage the cat’s-eye eyeliner herself, but she wants it for her funeral. Marion’s humor shines through as she jokes about being a "real-life Barbie girl," referencing the surgery that left her unable to sit comfortably. She requests that a vape and a packet of Hubba Bubba be placed in her coffin, personal touches that reflect her vibrant personality.

McCaughran’s own emotional journey is woven throughout the documentary. She admits she never properly grieved her mother’s death, a loss that still brings her to tears, especially when supporting other families. In one moving scene, she sits at her mother’s grave on the fifth anniversary of her passing, marking "1,827 days since I heard your beautiful, unique voice" and sipping a tin of Strongbow Dark Fruit. It’s a moment that captures the documentary’s spirit—unapologetically real, a little bit cheeky, and deeply heartfelt.

Butterflies Rising doesn’t shy away from the hard parts of grief. The documentary follows families grappling with sudden loss, like Mel, whose mother Margie died unexpectedly after a struggle with alcoholism. The cameras capture Mel’s shock and disbelief, her cycling through the familiar stages of grief: "It’s not real; it can’t be real." Yet, as The Guardian notes, these moments are handled with dignity and space for vulnerability, never feeling voyeuristic.

There’s also joy and even celebration. McCaughran describes a recent funeral for a gentleman from Anfield: "At the end we were all singing and dancing to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life. We’re dancing at gravesides, you know, jiving with the family when we bring our speaker because that’s not something I was told I could have at the graveside with my mum." It’s a reminder that, for some, funerals can be as much about honoring life as mourning its loss.

Butterflies Rising’s approach has sparked curiosity about broader trends in the funeral industry. While the documentary feels deeply Liverpudlian in its wit and warmth, The Guardian wonders whether this is a one-of-a-kind business or part of a larger shift toward personalization and celebration in end-of-life care. McCaughran, for her part, is clear about her mission: "It’s about when someone walks in they feel relaxed and calm and they know that their loved one is being cared for in a gorgeous environment." Her ethos is to bring the personality of the deceased "back to life"—whether that means dressing them in their best outfits or making sure they smell just right for family visits.

The documentary has been described as "raw and emotional" by BBC News, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a show that doesn’t flinch from the realities of death but insists on finding beauty, humor, and humanity in the process. As the credits roll, viewers might find themselves reconsidering what a "good" funeral looks like—and perhaps even feeling a little less afraid of the inevitable.

With The Fabulous Funeral Parlour, Channel 4 has given audiences a rare window into a world that’s often hidden from view. Hayley McCaughran and her team at Butterflies Rising have shown that, with a little imagination and a lot of heart, even the most final of goodbyes can be a celebration of life itself.